Sex shop owner's assets put on ice after undercover bust

Pam has been at the Daily Mercury since March 2013 and has also worked as a journalist in Batemans Bay and Wellington both in NSW. And yes, that does make her a Blues supporter. Growing up she moved around different places including Sydney, Moree, Wollongong and lived for about two years as a high school student on a small island in Micronesia called Pohnpei. Pam loves water sports, including SCUBA diving, snorkelling and kayaking but her awful balance means she’ll never touch a surf board. Ever...

THE State Government has frozen a Mackay sex shop owner's bank accounts and assets after she allegedly sold MDMA and fake marijuana to an undercover police officer.

Melinda Anne Slingsby faces a series of drug trafficking and drug possession charges.

The Supreme Court yesterday ordered the freezing of her personal and work bank accounts along with her assets, including two properties.

Court documents have revealed that on the day before Ms Slingsby was arrested in June this year, about $200,500 was in her personal bank account and about $50,900 was in her work account.

Co-accused Michael John Tyson also has had his assets, which include three houses, frozen.

Ms Slingsby, the owner of Wood St business Diva's Den, has been charged with three counts of trafficking drugs, four counts of possessing drugs and other drug-related crimes. She was arrested after police searched her home in June and has been in jail since.

Court documents revealed police allegedly found marijuana, meth and other drugs hidden in bottles and containers with fake bottoms in her kitchen and bathroom.

They also allegedly found a restricted sexual-performance drug hidden in a secret safe and inside a book titled For the Love of Coffee on her bookshelf.

Police legal documents said Ms Slingsby allegedly sold fake marijuana to an undercover police officer on four occasions and MDMA pills on three occasions. In one sale she made $16,000 from selling 1011 MDMA pills.

All of these sales allegedly occurred between November 2014 and May this year.

Under proceeds of crime laws, the State Government and the Crime and Corruption Commission can apply to the court to remove financial gain associated with illegal activity, regardless of whether or not a person has been convicted.

In this case it is believed the total value of restrained property is worth about $809,000.

Under strict conditions Ms Slingsby and Mr Tyson have to apply to the State Government if they wish to sell their properties and any money or interest made from the sale also would be frozen.